Our 3️⃣ points as Germany overcome a resilient Austria | OneFootball

Germany had to wait until the 89th minute to put the game to bed as they overcame a resilient Austrian side to progress to the semi-finals of Euro 2022.

Here’s what we made of it.

Popp leads the tireless German press

Forward Alexandra Popp may be one of the more experienced players on this German side, but the 31-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.

Manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg had a clearly defined game plan, identifying Austria’s play through Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger as an area to exploit.

Not only was this effective in preventing Austria from building up from the back, but their relentless press caused turnovers in possession all night and created both goals.

Zinsberger hurried clearance in the 25th minute would lead to Lina Magull’s opener – a goal she doesn’t score without Popp letting the ball run through her leg’s giving, in essence, Magull an open goal to aim at.

Popp’s tireless press and selfless performance was capped off in the dying minutes of the game when she closed down a Zinsberger clearance to deflect the ball into the net.

In putting the game to bed she also set a new record. Priceless.

Austria miss out in a game of inches

Although Germany were heavy favourites in this quarter-final match-up, Austria tested and pushed them up until that 89th-minute goal as the woodwork was well worked in this game of inches (say that three times fast).

Irene Fuhrmann’s side came flying out of the gates and piled pressure on their oppnenents throughout the opening quarter of an hour.

Set-pieces were a chosen method of attack as Marina Georgieva’s header struck the post early on.

Austria would strike the woodwork another two times. Barabra Dunst, trying her luck from range, almost caught out Merle Frohms, only for the back peddling German goalkeeper to be saved by her crossbar.

Not ten-minutes later and the post would come to the rescue of Germany again as, at the second time of asking, Sarah Puntigam’s effort from the top of the box hit the post before causing havoc in the six-yard area.

It wasn’t just Austria to miss by a few inches though as Guilia Gwinn struck the outside of the post within 15-seconds of the restart and the lively Bühl would see her speculative effort cannon of the bar later in the game.

Germany may have been the deserved winners overall but Austria pushed them every step of the way.

You can’t lose if you don’t concede

Although you can attribute a certain amount of luck when it comes to your opponent hitting the woodwork three times without scoring, there is an irrefutability to the way this German side defends.

With another clean sheet, Germany are yet to concede a goal in these Euros – even as they beat the mighty Spain that pushed England so far last night.

The art of a great defensive team goes beyond just the defenders. Popp’s previously mentioned pressing from the front (alongside the rest of her front line) played its part but, there is another gem in the heart of this team.

Lena Oberdorf, at just 20 years of age, is coming into her own in this tournament and displayed another colossal performance.

As reliable in breaking up the opposition attack as she is in getting Germany forward, Oberdorf is truly making a case for the player of the tournament.